Piper PA-23-250 N5551Y
3 September 1983 · Huffman, Texas, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 3 September 1983 at about 03:34 local time, a Piper PA-23-250 registered N5551Y, operated by Larry O. Gray, was involved in an accident near Huffman, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 03:34
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Huffman, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 30.0593, -95.0894
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250
- Registration
- N5551Y
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Larry O. Gray
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Baytown → Rockwall
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- FTW83FA415
People
3 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN A HIGH SPEED DIVE AND TOTALLY DISINTEGRATED. IMPACT CREATED A 7' CRATER AND MATERIAL BLEW OUT FOR 100 YARDS. THE ENGINES WERE RECOVERED AT THE 14 FT LEVEL IN THE CRATER. THE ACFT TOOK OFF AT 2215 FROM BAYTOWN TX. AT 2334 RADAR AND RADIO CONTACT WAS LOST. AT NO TIME DID THE PLT INDICATE THAT HE WAS HAVING ANY DIFFICULTIES. AS RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST THE RETURN WENT INTO COAST MODE FOR 8 SWEEPS OR 38 SECONDS. ONE THING THAT CAN TRIGGER THE COAST MODE IS A RAPID RATE OF DESCENT IN EXCESS OF 500 FT/MINUTE. ON 8/1/83 THE PLT OWNER EXPERIENCED A TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE IN THIS ACFT WHILE ENROUTE FROM CALIFORNIA TO DALLAS, TX. THE BATTERY CABLES WERE FOUND CORRODED AND LOOSE. THESE WERE CLEANED AND TIGHTENED AND NO FURTHER RECORD OF ELECTRICAL MAINTENANCE WAS NOTED. AFTER THE ACCIDENT THE TAIL LIGHT BULB WAS SENT TO THE NTSB LAB FOR ANALYSIS AS TO ITS ILLUMINATION AT IMPACT. THERE FINDINGS INDICATE THE BULB WAS NOT ILLUMINATED AT IMPACT. THERE ARE NO PROVISIONS FOR AN EMERGENCY LIGHTING SYSTEM IN THIS ACFT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-23 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Jan 1983 | Piper PA-23-160 | Mangum, Oklahoma, United States | David W. Autrey | No injuries | - |
| 13 Nov 1983 | Piper PA-23-250 | Waco, Texas, United States | Gary Mack Roberts | Serious injuries | - |
| 25 Nov 1983 | Piper PA-23 | Comfort, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
| 11 Feb 1983 | Piper PA-23-250 | San Juan | Collins M. Ketcham | Fatal | 1 |
| 6 Feb 1983 | Piper PA-23-250 | St. Joseph, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Dec 1983 | Piper PA-23-250 | Michigan City, Indiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
All 1,716 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Apr 1983 | Douglas DC-8-63F | Dfw Airport, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Aug 1983 | Cessna 140 | Hitchcock, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Aug 1983 | Aero Commander S2R | Katy, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Aug 1983 | Grumman G-164B | East Bernard, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 1983 | Boeing 727-223B | Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas, United States | American Airlines, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 Mar 1983 | Cessna 152 | Killeen, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |